By MOLLY LANGHORST, CSC COLLEGE RELATIONS
CHADRON – Three representatives of Chadron State College attended the ¡Adelante! Leadership Institute in San Diego in October. They are Taylor Osmotherly, Student Activities Coordinator, Gabi Pérez, Assistant Director of Admissions, and Student Senate President Olivia Bryant
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), founded in 1986, represents more than 500 school districts, colleges, and universities in the U.S., Latin America, and Spain. HACU is the only national association that represents Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs).
The conference, titled Rebuilding a More Resilient and Inclusive America, was the first conference HACU was able to host in three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The CSC cohort said they learned a wide range of valuable information for CSC.
Bryant plans to present information from the conference to the CSC Student Senate and Campus Activities Board, as well as incorporate HACU information into her classwork and her job with Admissions. She also gained practical information by networking with students and staff from other institutions. She hopes to collaborate with fellow conference attendees to bring new perspectives and practices to CSC for underserved student populations.
One of the best takeaways for Osmotherly came from a session about building inclusive communities on college campuses, specifically with Latinx students.
“Currently there are a lot of lengthy processes for just about everything, and while some of these are good, some are hindering student engagement,” said Osmotherly. “I would also like to take initiative in celebrating different heritages, races, ethnicities, and languages, as well as expand Familia, a Spanish-speaking club on campus.”
Osmotherly said he believes the right resources could help high school and transfer students feel more at home in Chadron and make CSC more likely to be their college choice.
“A lot of campuses have resources, materials, and orientation days, sessions, and tours in Spanish,” Osmotherly said. “While a student has to be proficient in English to attend CSC, it would be cool for families and students to have resources in Spanish readily available to them.”
Perez gained a new perspective on inclusivity and accessibility to quality education.
“More than 45 percent of our students are first-generation students, so I would like to work with Project Strive, Student Affairs, and any department interested in developing supportive services to help these students feel like they belong,” Perez said.
She also gleaned information about internships from several conference sponsors with open jobs and internships that she is excited to share with interested CSC students.
Perez said the Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) session she attended focused on hiring practices and resources for first-generation students.
“Being a first-generation student myself, I attended the session because it holds a special place in my heart,” Perez said. “The session offered info on support services such as making an action team focused on support services from prospective students to alumni, staff, and faculty practices to better empathize with and support first-generation students, and programming to recognize those students.”